


Monkey Love

by Whisper132



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-26
Updated: 2008-04-26
Packaged: 2017-10-23 14:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/251515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whisper132/pseuds/Whisper132
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kippei goes shopping for a Valentine's Day gift for Senri.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Monkey Love

Tachibana Kippei knew more about jet propulsion engines than he did about purchasing Valentine's Day gifts. He assumed, given the insistent text messages from Miyuki, that Senri was expecting something -something big and expensive and possibly with glitter.

So far, all Kippei'd come up with was a stuffed monkey and some chocolates. The chocolates were from an expensive shop, though, so that was good, right? He even took a thousand slow-ass trains to get to Osaka on what remained of the travel pass his mother used for some business trips the week prior. He was making every effort to be the perfect newly-reinstated boyfriend and Senri would love him just for trying.

"Having some trouble?"

Few voices had the ability to immediately drive Kippei to murder. In fact, in his memory, Shiraishi's was the only one. "No trouble. Fine, thanks." Talking through his teeth probably didn’t give off the friendliest vibe, but Kippei figured being friendly to the Whore of Osaka wasn't necessary.

"He wants a new pair of geta. There's a lady at the temple bazaar every month who sells hand made ones with patterns carved in. Get him a pair of those."

Gripping the bag that held the stuffed monkey, Kippei tried not to scream. "I said I'm fine, thanks. But if you want to get him something, go ahead." If Shiraishi even thought about buying Senri anything, Kippei was taking after that Rikkai punk and kicking Shiraishi's kneecaps in.

Shiraishi dusted imaginary dirt off his bandages. "Nothing can top what I got him last year. Besides," he ran his eyes up and down Kippei's shop-weary form, "I don't steal things that don't belong to me."

It was on.

  
*****

  
Diamonds were expensive and Senri didn't wear a lot of jewelry. Tennis products were out because Chitose was "retired." He didn't like idol groups and he didn't go to the movies. He didn't listen to much beyond some crap ukulele music that his parents brought back from Hawaii…on their honeymoon 16 years ago. All the MP3s on Senri's player were put there by his classmates so he could "branch out." The only track he listened to was some Utada Hikaru song because it was Miyuki's favorite and "kinda catchy."

"Can I help you, sir?" A middle-aged lady in a pink apron approached Tachibana. In one hand she had a makeup puff; in the other, a perfume mister.

"My dad sent me to get something for my mom. She likes Hawaiian stuff. Got anything Hawaiian?" The department store was his last resort. After strolling up and down streets for hours, he was going to give up if…

"Tachibana-san?"

Kippei stood taller and pretended not to be discussing women's perfume. "Ishida."

Ishida Tetsu nervously adjusted his bandana. "Mom's letting me visit my brother over the weekend. He and his coach are going to help me with my Hadokyuu." He lifted a small bag. "I bought some stuff for Sakurai, since he's back home and he really likes these caramels."

"I'm visiting a friend. I bought him a monkey." Tachibana lifted up his own bag.

"Just a monkey? You'll never get anywhere with just a monkey." Before Kippei had a chance to react, Tachibana's bag was ripped from his hands and was being inspected by Oshitari Kenya. "Shiraishi told me you were having problems but I thought he was just being an asshole."

"He _is_ an asshole."

Kenya seemed to take offense and shoved the bag into Tachibana's chest.

"What Tachibana-san means to say is they don't get along." Ishida stepped between his buchou and his brother's teammate, though Kippei didn't see any reason for Ishida to be so nervous. Oshitari Kenya hung out with Shiraishi and was, by association, and idiot.

"Whatever. They're waiting for us near the Men's section." Kenya grabbed Ishida's arm and began puling him away. "Let's leave the women to their shopping."

Senri really needed to transfer schools.

  
******

He settled on a men's cologne that smelled like coconut tanning oil. It was the most Senri-like scent he could find at the store and, after the run-in, Kippei wasn't going to chance running into any more of Chitose's teammates. If he ran into that pervert kid, he was going to lose it.

"Hey Kippei, you're late. You get lost again?" Chitose met him at the front gate to the school. Even though he wasn't on the team, Chitose was still helping Shiraishi train Zaizen to run things. Or so he said. In his more insecure moments, Kippei was sure Chitose was falling back on his mummy-loving ways and allowing the Grand Skeeze to grope him in the showers. Kippei never told Senri any of his concerns, though, because then there would be the Don't You Trust Me talk again, except it would be a You Don't Trust Me So We're Over talk.

"I got up late. Sorry. Wait long?" He handed Chitose the gift bag. "I got you some stuff."

Chitose smile and his aura sparkled; that, or Kippei's vision was blacking out because he was forgetting to breath. "Kenya said you got me a monkey."

That bitch. "Yeah."

"And he said you called Shiraishi an asshole."

"Yeah, well, just tellin' it like it is." Senri knew how Kippei felt about the Shiraishi Issue and had heard him call Shiraishi much worse. One day, Shiraishi was going to say the wrong thing – possibly anything – and Kippei was going to deck him. That would be a great day.

"You get me more than just a monkey?" Chitose tested the weight of the bag. "The bag feels a little heavy. Let me guess, some kind of cologne, right?" He gave it another test. "Something sexy that I'm only supposed to wear in private? Maybe a bottle of that coconut stuff I said I wanted last time we went shopping?"

"Who told?" Muga didn't apply to anything but tennis (some teeth clanking kisses could attest to that) so either Senri was hitting a lucky guess or there was a spy trailing Kippei at the store.

Chitose didn't look at all upset that he'd been caught. "Kin-chan is small. He hides really well, too." Without taking care to make sure they weren't being watched, Chitose draped an arm over Kippei's shoulder and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "You spent too much," he whispered, his breath tickling the shell of Kippei's ear. "I'll have to thank you properly."

In Tachibana's mind, that meant sex, but he knew that Chitose's mind operated several kilometers off the beaten path, so Senri probably meant he wanted to realign Kippei's chakras or something. Half an hour, naked on a table while Senri and his father put some rocks in weird places was not Tachibana's idea of adequate thanks. Chitose-san claimed Tachibana's inappropriate reaction to the event was because of the giant chunk of rose quartz sitting on his ass. Tachibana thought it was because he was naked and getting a shoulder massage from Senri, but what did he know?

"It's Valentine's Day so you don't have to do anything. I just wanted to get you something." Kippei shrugged and put his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting. "You finished with practice stuff?"

"I'm all yours." Chitose reached into the bag and pulled out the monkey. "This'll be my Kippei Monkey when you're not around." He lifted the monkey's arm and waved at Tachibana.

"Don't call me Kippei Monkey in public." Tachibana couldn't fight the blush. "And that was kinda the idea. Since, you know, I'm all the way up there and you're all the way down here."

"Aw, my Kippei Monkey's pouting." The stuffed monkey waved at Kippei again.

Sighing, Tachibana gave up and waved back to the monkey. "Let's go. We don't want to be late for dinner, and I have to call my mom from your place once we get there to let her know I'm not lying about where I went." He smiled and walked a little faster. "Then maybe the Kippei Monkey will do his dance for you."

Chitose's eyes went wide and he held up the bag as a grin spread across his face. "I've got the coconuts."

They ran all the way to Senri's house and, after some discussion, decided to skip dinner and turn in early for the night.


End file.
